Matt McAvoy Book Review

Slow burning and hugely atmospheric, Lorna’s work always simmers below the surface, with an intensity which grows and engulfs the reader; this thought-provoking composition is no different.  With a palpable feeling of menace growing gradually throughout, there is also an element of mysterious ambiguity, in this tale of a man with a history of violence struggling to raise his wayward daughter, whilst protecting her from the dark truth about her mentally ill mother.  Be warned, it is as bleak as it sounds, but it oppresses cerebrally, rather than hitting you with melodrama and shock. 

It feels physically heavy reading this book – in part because much of it is suggestion and implication; it often takes time to reach its next point, taking the reader through the author’s chosen route of poignant reflection to get there.  Lorna does this mood well – much better than most authors I’ve come across – but don’t expect resolution or closure around the next corner, because you won’t find them.  Perhaps for this reason, I was left feeling a touch unsatisfied by the end – but, of course, it was never going to be that type of book.  It requires concentration, patience and solitude to get the best from this work, and to follow much of it, because there is so much in the way of suggestion.  You really do need to get yourself on Lorna’s wavelength; there is a great deal of absent perusing, and to fully appreciate her melancholy style it is important that you envelop yourself into an understanding of this musing. 

Hinterland is understated, self-consciously unimportant and pure slice of life; its story and characters are as gritty as they come.  We enter, we observe, then we leave, and there are no clean edges at any of these stages; like a length pulled, rather than cut, from a baguette.  And with Lorna that is what you get, as is undoubtedly her trademark, and her objective – no frills, no dressing, and no superficiality; it is real, it is dark, and it is rough, but it is very high quality, and unquestionably it is exactly what Lorna wants to share with you.  A good read – a very good read, in fact – for those to whom superiority comes first, entertainment second.